Goulet takes over Golden Hawks bench

IAN DIXON/OJHL IMAGES
Peter Goulet, former head coach of the Kingston Voyageurs, has been named as the new general manager and head coach fo the Trenton Golden Hawks, becoming the fourth bench boss in four seasons in Trenton.
Editorial UseIan Dixon / (Photo by Ian Dixon / OJHL Image

For the fourth time in just over four seasons the Trenton Golden Hawks have a new coach.

Peter Goulet, who coached the Kingston Voyageurs in 2018-19, is the new general manager and head coach for the Golden Hawks. The Voyageurs missed the playoffs this past season for the first time in 32 years, and were sold to a group from Collingwood and will be known as the Colts for the 2019-20 season.

General manager and head coach Thomas Milne and assistant coaches Colin Birkas and Justin Peca are out behind the Golden Hawks bench after just one season.

Trenton director of hockey operations John McDonald said the process started when Birkas announced he was heading to Nanaimo to be associate coach with the BCHL Clippers.

Peca then made the team aware he had been named the new head coach of the Milton Menace, which have been relocated from Newmarket (Hurricanes).

After a meeting with ownership and staff, Milne, who lives and runs a business in Newmarket and has some family health issues, decided he was leaving for personal reasons after the first year of a two-year contract. Management and staff thank Milne, Birkas, and Peca for their hard work and dedication.

Milne thanked the fans, his coaching staff, arena crew, and long-time team owners Sandy Smith and Rod Finney, who Milne said are some of the best he has worked with in 25 years in the game.

Goulet arrives in Trenton with a ton of Junior A, CHL, and ECHL experience. He was an assistant coach with the Brampton Beast, the Belleville Senators’ farm team, a scout for the Halifax Mooseheads, the GM/coach of the Central Canada Hockey League’s Nepean Raiders, and had two separate stints with the Voyageurs. Goulet will be naming his assistants at a later date.

“Peter called me Sunday night and asked me what was going on and I told him to send in his application. He met with ownership and myself and we decided Peter is the guy to lead us to the next stage. He knows the area and the players and he has always been a pain in our side when he was in Kingston. We think he’s a good fit,” McDonald said.

Jerome Dupont, current head coach of the Cobourg Cougars, joined Trenton in 2011-12, leading them to back-to-back Buckland Cup (OJHL championship) appearances, consecutive Dudley Hewitt Cup Central Canadian championships, and two trips to the RBC Cup national championships. Dupont and the Golden Hawks parted ways in the summer of 2017, making way for long-time Wellington Dukes GM/head coach Marty Abrams. Abrams was joined by current Wellington GM Todd Reid and Patrick Shearer.

Abrams lasted just one season in Trenton after the Golden Hawks lost in the first round of the playoffs. Milne saw the Golden Hawks finish second in the East Division this season, but they were also ousted in the first round.

Goulet said he’s excited to join the Golden Hawks, a team with the highest attendance in the 22-team OJHL. He looks forward to working with ownership and staff, adding the team is committed to putting a great product on the ice and ensuring players are out in the community and getting a good education.

Meanwhile, after six years as the Golden Hawks’ athletic therapist, Sarah Ditmars, who became the first female to win the OJHL Trainer of the Year Award in 2017, is moving to Ottawa.

McDonald, who hired Ditmars in 2013, said, “It’s more than losing a trainer, it’s like losing a daughter.”

The Golden Hawks wish Ditmars well as she pursues new opportunities, and will begin a search to fill the position in preparation for the 2019-2020 season.

“I have been privileged to spend six great seasons with the Trenton Golden Hawks and I would like to thank the owners, staff, players, and the community for the unmatched passion and dedication that is poured into this team,” said Ditmars. “Thank you for all the great memories, Trenton.”